


Make Your Heart Remember Me

by bb_bambam



Series: Song-Inspired Fics [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-03 22:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5309390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bb_bambam/pseuds/bb_bambam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four times Liam sings “I Want To Write You A Song” to Niall and one time Niall sings it to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make Your Heart Remember Me

Liam fondly watches through his laptop screen as Niall brings Theo over. Niall is so good with the little boy, and Liam always gets a swooping feeling in his stomach when he watches them interact (because he always ends up imagining what it would be like if Niall was _his_ and he was playing with _their_ child).

“Theo, say hi to Liam!” Niall encourages, lifting his nephew and placing him in his lap. “He called all the way from Wolverhampton to see you!”

“Hey bud!” Liam grins, waving at Theo.

“Li!” Theo babbles excitedly, pointing at the screen. “Ni, it Li!”

Niall lets out a laugh, his eyes shining as he watches Liam smile fondly at Theo. “Yeah, it is!”

They talk for nearly an hour. Theo is delighted to spend so much time talking to Liam, who (according to Niall) is his favorite member of the band (“Besides me, of course,” Niall reminds him cheekily). Liam just loves any opportunity to talk to both of them together. Niall absolutely _dotes_ on his nephew, and Liam thinks it’s the sweetest thing he’s ever seen (but then again, he thinks almost _everything_ Niall does is sweet).

“Okay buddy, it’s almost time for you to go to bed,” Niall says gently. “Say bye!”

“Bye bye Li!” Theo calls sadly.

“Bye Theo!” Liam replies, a sad smile on his face. “I’ll try to talk to you again soon, okay?”

“Yes!” Theo brightens up slightly. “Ni, can Li sing?”

Niall bites his lip. “Well...if you don’t mind, Li?”

Liam smiles. “As if I could say no to him.” _Or to you_ , he adds silently. He thinks for a second, then settles on the song that always makes him immediately think of Niall.

“ _I want to write you a song_  
 _One as beautiful as you are sweet_  
 _Just a hint of pain_  
 _For the feeling that I get when you are gone_  
 _I want to write you a song_.”

He doesn’t break eye contact with Niall the whole time, and Niall’s cheeks are flushed pink when Liam finishes. “Alright, you little monster, let’s get you to your dad then, yeah?” Niall sounds slightly breathless as he scoops Theo up and swings him in the air a bit. “Be right back, LiLi!”

Liam watches them go with a smile. He wonders for a moment whether singing that song was too obvious, but he brushes the concern off because if he’s being honest, it’s about time Niall found out. And anyway, he loves how the lyrics genuinely express how he feels, because Niall _does_ deserve to have a beautiful song written for him, and he _is_ the sweetest person alive, and Liam’s chest _does_ hurt a little when he’s not around Niall (like now, seeing him through a computer screen rather than face to face).

When Niall returns, he flashes Liam his bright, beautiful smile and and his cheeks are still slightly pink and his eyes are sparkling, and if Liam wasn’t already sure he’s in love, he sure as hell would be now.

~~~

“Rise and shine, lovebirds!” Louis sings.

“What?” Liam groans, rubbing at his eyes groggily. He lifts his head slightly to find Louis smirking at him and Niall curled comfortably into his side. He drops his head back on the pillow as Niall subconsciously snuggles closer to him. “Go away Lou.”

“You literally have like, ten minutes,” Louis informs him. “We have to be out by 8:30.”

“We’ll be there,” Liam sighs. “Let Haz know.”

“Will do,” Louis grins before darting out. Liam rolls his eyes fondly, realizing that Niall sleeping in his bed isn’t going to be a secret for much longer (not that they were trying to hide it, but they thought Louis and Harry might draw the wrong conclusion if they knew. Really, Niall just asks to stay with Liam during the night sometimes when he’s feeling particularly lonely or sad, and Liam can never refuse).

“Hey snowflake,” Liam says softly, running a hand through Niall’s hair. “Time to wake up, I’m afraid.”

Niall stirs and looks up at Liam through half-closed eyes. His blue eyes are cloudy with sleep, and his hair is ruffled and fluffy, and his cheeks are rosy and warm, and Liam has never seen anything more beautiful. “Don’t wanna,” Niall mumbles, his accent thicker than usual.

Liam smiles. “Come on, sunshine. You can sleep in the car if you want.”

Niall yawns and rubs his eyes before opening them completely, fully taking in Liam gazing affectionately down at him. He can’t stop a small, sleepy smile from spreading across his face. “Thanks LiLi.”

Liam can’t help but press a light kiss to Niall’s forehead at the sight. “Anything for you.”

They manage to make it out by 8:29, much to the amusement of Louis and Harry, who stop mid-conversation to throw inquisitive looks at Liam, eyes flicking back and forth between him and Niall. Liam glares at them in an attempt to let them know that _no_ , he and Niall are not a thing ( _yet_ , he adds silently). They send him doubtful glances, but graciously drop the subject for now.

“It’s pretty bloody cold out,” Harry complains.

“You’ll be fine, Haz,” Liam tells him. “Just wait a bit longer.”

“Is Hazza freezing in the 7 degree weather?” Louis laughs. “Weird, I think it’s quite nice, actually.”

“It isn’t,” Niall mumbles, quietly enough that Louis and Harry don’t hear him, but Liam has always been much more perceptive, especially when it comes to Niall, and he turns sharply to look at him.

“Ni, you okay?” Liam asks, concerned.

“Just a little cold, Li, it’s nothing.” Niall offers him a reassuring smile. “Like you said, I’ll be fine.”

Liam frowns. “You need another layer, at least. Take my coat.”

Niall shuffles his feet. “I’m fine, really, I don’t -”

“Nialler, come on,” Liam insists gently. “You need it more than me.” He’s already taken off his coat.

“Okay,” Niall agrees, his voice soft. Neither of them notice how Louis and Harry have purposely moved further away, giggling and smirking to themselves.

Liam drapes the jacket around Niall’s slightly thinner frame. It’s just a _little_ too big, and Liam loves how it looks on him. Their eyes lock and they smile at each other almost shyly, their faces inches apart. Niall looks so lovely, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight, his hair glowing like a halo, all wrapped up in Liam’s coat, that Liam can’t fight the urge to sing softly to him, the lyrics perfectly suited to the situation.

“ _I want to lend you my coat_  
 _One that’s as soft as your cheek_  
 _So when the world is cold_  
 _You’ll have a hiding place you can go_  
 _I want to lend you my coat_.”

Niall gazes at Liam like he’s the most wonderful thing he’s ever seen, a smile on his lips, his cheeks coloring spectacularly. “Thanks, LiLi,” he whispers. He hesitates for a moment before pressing a fleeting kiss to Liam’s cheek and running off to where the car has just arrived.

Niall doesn’t take the coat off the entire day. (Liam doesn’t take his eyes off Niall, either.)

~~~

It’s 3:26 in the morning when Liam wakes up to hear a frantic knocking at his door. He groans and pulls himself out of bed, shuffling to the door and grumbling to himself. When he opens the door, all his irritation vanishes on the spot and he’s immediately flooded with worry instead.

Niall is standing in the doorway, his eyes watery and red and his hair a mess. “Can I come in?” he asks quietly, his voice shaky and small.

Liam pulls Niall into his arms and closes the door. “Of course, Ni, are you -” Niall shakes his head and buries his face in Liam’s shoulder. Liam brings Niall to his bed and arranges their bodies so they’re lying side by side, Liam’s arms loosely wrapped around Niall. He brushes a tear away and strokes Niall’s cheek softly. “Snowflake, what’s wrong?”

Niall sniffles. “I - I _miss_ them, Li. I know it’s stupid -”

“It’s not stupid,” Liam interrupts. “Listen to me, Nialler, missing your family will _never_ be stupid, okay?”

“Okay,” Niall whispers.

“I miss my family too,” Liam continues. “All the time. It’s completely normal, Ni, I promise.”

Niall lets out a half-laugh, half-sob. “You don’t cry about it, though.”

“But that doesn’t mean crying is something to be ashamed of,” Liam tells him. “You’re not weak because you show your emotions, snowflake. You’re still as strong and wonderful and perfect as always.”

A small, pleased smile spreads across Niall’s face as he breaks eye contact and looks down shyly. “Thank you, Li.”

“Hey.” Liam lifts Niall’s chin up so their eyes meet again. “You know you can always come to me any time.”

“I know,” Niall murmurs.

“Good,” Liam says, lightly kissing Niall on the nose before tightening his hold on him and pulling him into his chest. Niall sighs contentedly as Liam tangles their legs together and starts singing softly.

“ _I want to build you a boat_  
 _One that’s as strong as you are free_  
 _So any time you think that your heart is gonna sink_  
 _You know it won’t_  
 _I want to build you a boat_.”

~~~

Liam picked up the habit right when the band first started touring. There was just something about the way Niall’s eyes would light up every time he gave him a souvenir from a new place that made him want to keep doing it. Liam makes it a point to still do it, because now he knows that the warm feeling he gets as he watches Niall get excited over receiving a keychain or a statuette stems from the fact that he’s head-over-heels in love with him.

Zayn had known about their little tradition because Liam had confided in him early on, and he used to tease them about it, but he also secretly told Liam that he thought it was really cute (“Dunno how he hasn’t realized you’re absolutely mad for him by now, mate,” he had said with a grin, and Liam hadn’t told Zayn about his feelings but he also wasn’t surprised that Zayn had figured it out). Harry and Louis, on the other hand, only find out about the little gifts years later.

“Who’s that for then, Leemo?” Louis asks, coming up beside him as he walks out of the hotel souvenir shop.

“Huh?” Liam turns his head sharply to look at Louis. “What’re you on about?”

“The gift, Payno,” Louis clarifies exasperatedly. “Who’s the lucky recipient?”

“It’s, uh, for Niall,” Liam mumbles, not really sure why he’s getting shy about it.

Louis looks at him. “Niall, like, _our_ Niall? Niall Horan?”

“What other Niall do you know, Tommo?” Liam sighs.

“Why’re you buying gifts for Niall?” Louis continues. They’ve made their way up to the rooms by now, and they walk inside Liam’s room to find Niall and Harry waiting for them. “Leemo’s been out buying gifts for Niall!” Louis informs them loudly.

"What, not for the rest of us?” Harry asks.

“Li always gets me gifts,” Niall says as he beams up at Liam happily.

“ _I’ve_ never gotten any gifts,” Louis complains. “How come only Niall gets them?”

Harry is looking between Liam and Niall, realization dawning upon him. He sends Louis a knowing look before loudly declaring, “Lou, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I _think_ it’s because you’re an ungrateful little -”

“Break my little heart, Styles,” Louis shoots back, grinning to show that he understands Harry’s hidden message. “Well, since I’m clearly not getting any presents anyway, I’m gonna go eat or something.”

“I’ll come with you,” Harry says automatically. “We’ll see you later, yeah?” He and Louis wave at Niall and Liam before making their way out.

Liam walks over to the bed and sits down next to Niall. “Dunno why they made such a huge deal, it isn’t much.” He takes out the miniature mug with the Mexican flag printed on it and offers it to Niall.

“It’s enough,” Niall tells him, smiling widely. “I love it. I love all your gifts.”

Liam smiles back at him. “I’m glad.”

“Although,” Niall continues, “I _am_ a little curious. Why _do_ you only get gifts for me and not the others?”

He looks so intrigued and almost - hopeful? - and Liam considers confessing his feelings right then and there. He doesn’t, but he settles for something equally true. “Well, I guess at first it was just like a fun little thing, you know? You liked when I gave them to you, so I kept doing it. But I think now it’s more of a thank you.”

Niall cocks his head, puzzled. “For what?”

Liam laughs softly. “For being my best friend. For keeping me grounded and sane. For staying so _you_ , even after everything we’ve accomplished. For _everything_ , really.”

Niall blushes and looks down, a small smile on his face. “That’s sweet, LiLi.”

“I mean it,” Liam insists, his voice soft. Niall looks back up, their eyes locking. It feels natural for Liam to start singing quietly, the weight of the lyrics tangible as they gaze at each other.

“ _Everything I need I get from you_  
 _Giving back is all I wanna do_.”

~~~

Niall loves Liam with more ferocity than he ever knew he was capable of. Before he met Liam, he had always assumed that he would one day encounter someone who he was reasonably attracted to and he would eventually settle for spending his life with that person.

But instead, he auditioned for the X Factor and made it to boot camp and got _Liam_ as a roommate. And Liam was decidedly _not_ just someone who Niall was "reasonably attracted" to.

Niall fell for Liam almost the moment he first met him, and he’s been falling deeper and deeper ever since. And he would be content to continue pining away for his best friend, too, except there are times (a lot of them) that make him think that just maybe, Liam feels the same way.

“Hey sunshine!” Liam beams at him.

“Hi LiLi,” Niall responds, his face lighting up.

“Missed you,” Liam tells him, pulling him in for a long hug.

“It’s only been a week, Li,” Niall giggles, although he returns the hug fervently.

“A week too long,” Liam replies likes it’s obvious. “I hate being away from you, you know.”

“I love you,” Niall blurts out, and Liam’s arms tense around him, and - wait. He didn’t mean to say that. He tries to remove himself from Liam’s embrace, but Liam doesn’t let him.

“Ni. Niall, look at me,” Liam begs softly. He keeps an arm firmly wrapped around Niall’s shoulders and guides him to the bed. “Snowflake, why’re you so upset?”

Niall refuses to meet Liam’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to say that.”

Liam is quiet for a moment. “Did you not mean what you said?” He sounds sad.

“Of course I meant it,” Niall sighs. “Of course I love you. I just - I didn’t mean to tell you. Not like that.”

“I love you too,” Liam informs him.

Niall blinks and stares. “Li,” he starts, but Liam is already pushing him down to lie on the bed and leaning over him.

“I love you so much, Niall,” Liam breathes, gazing down at him reverently.

“Really?” Niall asks quietly.

“Really,” Liam promises, and finally leans down and kisses Niall softly.

“I’m so in love with you,” Niall murmurs, chasing Liam’s lips with his own as he pulls away slightly. “I always hoped, but I never knew -”

“I don’t sing love songs to just anyone, sunshine,” Liam smiles fondly, kissing Niall again. “I’ve been trying to get you to see it for _ages_.”

“I see it now,” Niall whispers, speaking against Liam’s lips.

They lie there next to each other on the bed for hours, exchanging softly spoken words and gentle kisses and delirious little smiles.

“Hey, LiLi?” Niall begins. Liam beams affectionately at him. He takes a deep breath and starts singing, finishing the song Liam has been singing to him for months.

“ _I want to write you a song_  
 _One to make your heart remember me_  
 _So any time I’m gone_  
 _You can listen to my voice and sing along_  
 _I want to write you a song_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the next fic in my song-inspired series! This is honestly so filled with fluff that it was actually kind of tough to write!  
> Hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave comments and feedback, as always! Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
